Refac charged 96 firms with patent infringement.

New York-based Refac Technology Development said it filed suit in U.S. District Court in New York seeking damages against the manufacturers and retailers of products containing a digital time display circuit that Refac claims is covered by a patent owned by one of its subsidiaries. Refac President Phil Sperber said that among those accused in the suit of unauthorized use of the circuit, which is used in watches and calculators, are McDonald’s Corp., J. C. Penney and Associated Dry Goods.